The Morning Heresy 5/8/12: Six Commandments, Fourteen-Foot Beaver

May 8, 2012

Prime takeaway from my perspective: Rogers seems adamant that there is more of a pro-secular attitude within the GOP than almost anyone else believes, and leans heavily on the idea that there's not sufficient research on the question (she says, "I don't agree that the Republican Party is pro-life," which is really hard to square, but she insists that there is supportive research). I have to wonder whether this is somewhat a moot issue, because it seems to me that the question that is plaguing movement atheists is whether Rogers is truly "one of us" given her history, and while not totally irrelevant, the secularity of the wider GOP is not necessarily central to answering that. In other words, her own record and coming work will be a far better barometer than that of the Republican Party as a whole.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, she places an emphasis on realpolitik, which is frankly what one would expect from a seasoned lobbyist: She explains her Rick Perry donations by citing his influence over the issues she worked on behalf of, and therefor it was only common sense to gain favor with him (and any other influential figures); she explains her eschewing the label of "atheist" in favor of "nontheist" not because of its accuracy or some philosophical principle, but because she doesn't want to alienate sectors of the movement in which she now holds a leadership position.

Rogers tells WaPo: "I see a lot of opportunity to recruit secular Republicans to the movement."

I'd like to think that Rogers is a hired gun ... or better still someone who has been a hired gun in the past but has now reached a time in her life when she wants to commit to a cause that she believes in.

I asked about the SCA’s plans to include climate change in their move to make real science the basis of policy in Washington and elsewhere, but there was not a clear answer.

Ashley F. Miller pens a somewhat tongue-in-cheek PR letter of what she would like to hear from Ms. Rogers

Indiana radio interviews CFI-Indiana's Reba Boyd Wooden on her lobbying efforts in DC on the filling of judicial vacancies

Must-Read: Long-time Indiana GOP senator Dick Lugar is likely to lose his primary to the Tea Party/Palin-backed Richard Mourdock. Scientific American does a fascinating profile of Mourdock and his substantial scientific cred, and it's a wildly mixed bag. A taste:

“I tell my Christian friends: when you look at the rock record, the fossil record, of course evolution occurred. It continues to occur,” says Mourdock. “It is important that we understand that others can disagree. I’m more concerned, frankly, when I see science misused by politicians.”

Andrew Sullivan has a double for we seculars: He plugs Chris Mooney's Republican Brain work, and invites readers to weigh in on the Neil deGrasse Tyson agnosticism debate

Within a few hours of publishing “In Defense of Profiling,” I had lunch with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, one of my favorite people on earth. (Of course, I told her that I thought she should be profiled at the airport, and we had a good laugh about my “racism.”) What defenders of Islam refuse to acknowledge is that critics of this religion—especially those, like Ayaan, who were once Muslim and are now guilty of apostasy—have security concerns of a sort that critics of Judaism or Christianity haven’t had for centuries. Charges of “Islamophobia” in this context are nothing more than liberal masochism and denial. And the most ominous sign coming from the moderate Muslim community at this moment is that the majority of its members continue to deny that Islam warrants any special concern.

Letters of Note: C.S. Lewis said that a TV portrayal of Aslan the lion would be "blasphemy"

AEI publication insists that secularism does not have as rosy a future as we sometimes think:

It’s worth remembering that 97 percent of the world's population growth takes place in the religious tropics, while populations in secular East Asia and the West are aging and would already be declining were it not for immigration.

Sadly, superstitious people often become so absorbed by superstitions that their lives are ruled by them. Instead of enjoying life, they live in fear — fear that they’ll do something wrong and bring misfortune on themselves. Others constantly pursue things they hope will bring them good fortune — usually in vain.

Linking to a story or webpage does not imply endorsement by Paul or CFI . Not every use of quotation marks is ironic or sarcastic, but it often is.

E-Mail Updates

Search All Free Thinking Blogs

Paul Fidalgo has been communications director of the Center for Inquiry since 2012. He holds a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University, and has worked previously for FairVote: The Center for Voting and Democracy and the Secular Coalition for America. Paul is also an actor and musician whose work includes five years performing with the American Shakespeare Center. He lives in Maine with his wife and kids. His blog at the Patheos network is iMortal, and he tweets at @paulfidalgo.